Musical theater lovers will stand up and cheer for 'Drowsy Chaperone'

The one that did it for me was the original cast album of “Camelot,” listening to it as a child on an old Hi-Fi, the kind that was a substantial piece of furniture, in the late 1960s. With Richard Burton’s mellifluous Welsh voice and Julie Andrews’ pure crystalline tones, I was hooked from that moment on. I’ve been a lover of musical theater ever since.

To this day, there is something stirringly real about an original cast album to a Broadway show that is a special delight. The vinyl discs, handled with precious care, the large album cover, with its cast and song lists, photos from the production, all brought even unseen shows to life vividly. A suburban living room could become Shubert Alley. Neither iTunes nor MP3s can match it; those skimpy little booklets in compact discs never did quite cut it.

With “The Drowsy Chaperone,” the Jefferson Performing Arts Society and Theatre 13 have joined forces to present an endearing love letter to that joy of listening to a show via its cast album, as well as a paean to the silly glory of the Broadway musical itself. The local theater season is only just beginning, but this delightfully funny and charmingly touching production will be difficult to surpass.

If you’re the sort who has trouble suspending disbelief or has ever asked at a musical, “Why do they keep suddenly breaking into song?” then this show is not for you. For it is a celebration of all of those shows whose primary purpose was to break into one song after another – usually written by such songwriters as George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Noel Coward, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” is a show within a show, opening with the Man in the Chair, a lonely soul living in his dingy apartment filled with Broadway memories, a plethora of posters, playbills and photos of productions past. But as he shuts himself off from the real world, he shares with the audience a cast album of one of his favorite old shows, a Prohibition-era lark titled “The Drowsy Chaperone.” As the needle touches the album, the apartment colorfully springs to life as we see through his imagination the entire show.

The plot of the story within the story is paper-thin and the characters are all two-dimensional stereotypes – intentionally so. “The Drowsy Chaperone” includes a shipboard romance, comical gangsters, a desperate Broadway producer, a ditzy ingénue, a tottering dowager and her loyal butler, and, what the heck, throw in a glamorous aviatrix as a deus ex machina for a grand finale.

Put “42nd St.,” “Anything Goes,” “High Society” “Oh, Kay” and “No, No Nanette” into a blender and hit puree and you have a sense of the script.

It is all great fun and succeeds as an evening’s simple trifle of an entertainment. However, this production goes beyond that. Director Gary Rucker has led his remarkable cast to capture pitch perfectly the vintage style, look, humor and feel of these old shows without turning it into mere pastiche. Most importantly, he also reveals the true heart of the show, revealing the deeply long-lasting connection that well-created theater can have with its audience.

That heart is brought vividly and giddily to life in Ricky Graham’s unforgettable performance as the Man in the Chair. Even in the biggest production numbers of the show, the audience is drawn to watch his reaction, the sheer happiness it brings the character to recall the glitz and glamour. Without sinking to maudlin sentimentality, which one would expect in the internal show, Graham also shows the touching sadness of the role. His closing scene, in which real life has invaded his memories yet again, quietly tugs at the heart.

Each of the rest of the cast also revels in the fun-loving roles. Kelly Fouchi, who also is credited with the show’s snappy choreography, is the picture of the glamorous young Broadway star Janet Van De Graaf, ready to give up the stage and the attention (as she sings repeatedly in big production numbers) for true love. Her beloved, Robert Martin, is played by real-life spouse Marc Fouchi to toothy-grinned, head-over-heels perfection. His “Cold Feet” song and dance number, shared with best man George, is a highlight of the show. George is finely played by Brian Paul Falgoust, reminiscent of a young Jimmy Stewart.

Throughout the character roles of the show are handled with distinction. The bride-to-be’s chaperone, described as being played by a grande dame of the theater, is handled grandly by Carrie Hill. Brian Peterson plays the requisite Latin lothario, Adolpho, with gleeful relish.

Janet Shea and Roland “Butch” Caire are sweetly matched as the pair of old vaudevillians cast as the tottering Mrs. Tottendale and her butler, Underling. Their simple moments onstage, which would often be overlooked, charm the audience. Their timing together is especially delightful, elevating even a series of spit-takes to high comedy.

David Hoover is at his cigar-chomping best as the Ziegfeld wannabe Feldzieg (get it?); Carrie Black nails the ditzy chorine. In a brief role, Erica Fox gives Trixie the Aviatrix a big belting voice.

As the goofy gangsters, Matias Grau III and Matthew Mickal also are scene-stealers. Their duet “Toledo Surprise,” along with groaningly pun-filled dialogue, simply kills.

The show’s production values match the acting and direction. David Raphel’s ingenious set bursts to life with actors appearing through every opening imaginable. It is all colorfully lit by Diane Baas. Adam Alonso’s costumes and Brian Peterson’s wigs capture an era.

I went into “The Drowsy Chaperone” fully expecting to laugh – and repeatedly did so, even loudly, along with the rest of the audience in the cozy Westwego Performing Arts Theatre. I left with a cheery song in my heart and a tear or two in my eyes.

There aren’t many shows that I go back to see a second time. This will be one of them. I hope to see you there.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONEWhat: The Jefferson Performing Arts Society opens its season with a joint production with Theatre 13. A diehard musical theater fan plays his favorite cast album and the show magically comes to life. Music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison; book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Gary Rucker directs.Where: Westwego Performing Arts Theatre, 177 Sala Ave., Westwego, 885-2000.When: Performances at 7:30 Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 Sundays, through Oct. 16. Tickets: $30, $27 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children.